Ashes keep the fire burning in ageing warrior Hussey

Date: December 23 2012

Chloe Saltau

MIKE Hussey would like to return to his roots and captain Western Australia when his international career is over but the last of the ageing Test batsmen is adamant he doesn't yet know when that will be.

Ricky Ponting's retirement made Hussey, 37, confront his own mortality but he remains hungry to compete in next year's Ashes and, ideally, would like to finish his Test career at home.

''The Ashes is a huge carrot, no question, but it's dangerous to look too far ahead,'' Hussey told Fairfax Media. ''I came into this summer thinking it would be fantastic to make the Ashes. But we had three extremely tough Tests against South Africa and then Sri Lanka and then four Tests in India.

''I'd had a tough run against South Africa in the past, there's no guarantee I was going to score runs in those three Tests, and who knows what happens after that? So I wanted to do well against South Africa, do well in this series against Sri Lanka, and reassess things heading into the overseas trips [to India and England],'' he said.

Australia plays back-to-back Ashes series, in England then at home, over the next 12 months.

''I think in a perfect world I would like to [finish at home]. I have spoken to a few people who have retired, and they say you just know the time is right. I don't have that feeling yet, I don't know when the time is going to be right … everyone I have spoken to about it is saying you will wake up one day and it will be crystal clear, and I definitely haven't had those feelings, so I guess the time is not quite right.''

Hussey has not shown his age this summer, with 675 runs in four Tests at an average of 88.20. He has discussed with Justin Langer, the new WA Warriors' coach, the possibility of eventually helping his home state recover from its on- and off-field problems.

''It's certainly on the radar. I did captain one game early in the summer and really enjoyed it. I do think WA is at a place where there is a great opportunity to take the team … into a position of strength in Australian cricket and it is something I would love to be a part of,'' Hussey said. ''I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do [in retirement], I'd like to try a bit of everything and see what I like.''

The sudden departure of Ponting has made Hussey determined to enjoy the remainder of his international career.

''As an aspiring Test player I saw Ricky Ponting as superhuman, he was my captain for a long time and he was superhuman as a captain and when I was playing with him. Suddenly in the blink of an eye it's all finishing. It makes me think, 'Wow, if that is going to happen to Ricky it's going to happen to everyone'. So it does put things in perspective, that you can't be on this dream run forever. It is going to end at some stage … obviously sooner rather than later for me as well.''

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